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New “approved garage” scheme for York

City of York Council is launching tomorrow (26th May) a new Approved Garage Scheme (AGS) to give both residents and garages peace of mind about the quality of services they are buying and giving.

The AGS scheme is backed by council Trading Standards officers who will advise and help raise standards at the car dealerships, service and repair workshops which sign up to the scheme.

Residents and other companies can be confident that AGS-authorised businesses are checked and approved by Trading Standards as being trustworthy and competent.

mechanic cartoon picTo secure AGS membership, garages must meet certain criteria and maintain those standards through routine audits and checks. They must also be prepared for the investigation of any customer complaints by Trading Standards officers who could intervene to help resolve them to the satisfaction of both customer and garage.

The officers will regularly update AGS members on national guidelines including technical requirements, service standards and warranties. They will also share professional advice on trading standards and civil law to ensure AGS garages are fully compliant.
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Current York Council consultations

Licensing variations

DrunksA consultation on a proposed review of City of York Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy has opened.

At the Licensing Committee meeting on 25 April, it was agreed to pursue North Yorkshire Police’s request to amend the local authority’s current policy. Published in 2014, it includes a ‘Special Policy’ which relates to applications for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificates.

The police believe these variations to licensed hours or style of operation can have as much impact locally as granting a new license. To give these variations greater weight and to reflect that they can significantly change the nature of the original license conditions, the force has requested that the policy’s ‘Effects of the Special Policy’ section is changed.

This section of the policy currently reads:
5. “Application for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate due to a change of style of operation:

Any application for the variation of style of operation which is subject to relevant representations will be considered on its own merits having regard to the promotion of the licensing objectives

6. Application for the variation of a premises licence or club premises certificate resulting in an extension of the premises and increased capacity:

There will be a presumption to refuse such applications, where relevant representation are received and where the increase in capacity would undermine the licensing objectives unless the applicant can rebut the presumption that the granting of such a variation would undermine the licensing objectives.

7. Application to vary the hours of operation attached to a premises licence or club premises certificate:

All applications that seek to extend the licensed hours will be considered on an individual basis. No different policy will apply in this area as opposed to the rest of the city.”

The a new form of words proposed is:

5.  “The following variations are considered to be material:

• change in style of operation

• physical extension of the premises that increases capacity

• extension of hour of operation

and therefore, there will be a presumption to refuse such applications, where relevant representations are received [deleted and] unless the applicant can rebut the presumption that the granting of such a variation would undermine the licensing objectives.”

Views can be sent by email to: licensing.unit@york.gov.uk or posted to Licensing Section, City of York Council, Eco Depot, Hazel Court, York YO10 3DS.

Other current Council consultations
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York Council behind barricades over Quango critics

More reports are being published as the fall out, from the irregular payments to York officials audit report, continues.censored

The matter is up for discussion again at the next Council Executive meeting.

The Council’s constitution is being amended to permit speakers at Council meetings to criticise officials (but not to mount personal attacks on them).

However, no explanation of the delays in uploading a full version of the video of the last Council meeting have been offered. Instead the Chief Executive – in consultation with a gang of four Group Leaders – will head a new censorship committee. 

Further refinements in governance arrangements are promised next month amidst ominous warnings that more arms length Council companies may be in the pipeline.

No improvements in transparency are offered.

The officials identified in the Audit report have agreed to repay in full the amounts they received as Directors of City of York Trading. The auditors have confirmed that no retrospective approval of the payments is therefore required.

York Council QUANGO set new targets

A watchdog committee will be told next week what the targets for the Councils wholly owned “Make it York” (MIY) organisation will be.

York's image to be improved as alcohol dominates City centre economy

York’s image to be improved as alcohol dominates City centre economy

MIY has been the centre of controversy since it took over the management of City centre activities 12 months ago. 

It has just reported a £29,000 “profit” for last year …..but only after receiving nearly £1 million from local taxpayers.

Now the Council is saying that the subsidy for 2016/17 must be used to meet a range of targets which include;

  • Sustaining/creating “high value jobs” (Taxpayer contribution £179k) – This includes inward investment, account management with “500 jobs created above the national median wage”. In 2015/16 MIY claimed to have created 233 new jobs (against a target of 700) of which only 167 (target 500) where “high value”
  • Cultural/visual identity (£120k) – improving the City’s image (!), a year round creative lighting setup for the city centre, digital signposting and what’s on, city centre public realm enhancement and “the” Eye of York development.
  • Bring people and businesses together (£39k) – to “enable serendipity to happen” (!)
  • Community based economic initiatives (£30k) – includes rolling out Bishopthorpe Road “model” to other suburban shopping areas.

In addition, the MIY will promote the Shambles market and stimulate tourism albeit no numeric targets for these activities are included in the proposed “service level agreement”

What would success look like?

Most of these objectives are notoriously difficult to monitor. In particular, most economic growth is organic and would probably happen anyway without third party stimulation.

MIY has already fallen into the trap of measuring inputs (e.g. number of meetings held) rather than outputs. It is reminiscent of the last Councils flirtation with the exotic attractions of Cannes

If the organisation can make a “profit” then they appear to care little that local traders are squeezed out by high rents or that children lose their traditional pastimes.morris-world-missing-target

Performance numbers for 2015/16 will be considered at a “shareholders” meeting next week. They show that MIY missed all of their economic development targets during the last year

However, the number of potential tourists accessing Visit York information did achieve the 2 million target. The organisation also did better on business inquiries and conferences.

There are no customer satisfaction measures for city centre activities or the “markets” experience.

Total tourist numbers and entry numbers at attractions are not reported. Nor are hotel room occupancy figures.

In the wake of the City of York Trading scandal, the Council has promised a root and branch review of how its arm’s length companies and partner organisations are governed.

 The sooner that happens the better.

Auditors lifting veil on City of York Council

Problems revealed with project management and registering interests

Although the now notorious audit report on irregular staff payments is not on the agenda for the York Councils next Audit committee meeting, several other issues are.

click to view

click to view

The Councils auditors (Mazers) annual report does conclude that group accounts for “City of York Trading” and “Make it York” are not required.  The publication of separate accounts would make it easier for taxpayers to understand the level of any cross subsidy enjoyed by these organisations.

The Auditors do say, “In all entities, management at various levels is in a unique position to perpetrate fraud because of the ability to manipulate accounting records and prepare fraudulent financial statements by overriding controls that otherwise appear to be operating effectively. Due to the unpredictable way in which such override could occur, we consider there to be a risk of material misstatement due to fraud and thus a significant risk on all audits”.

They go on to conclude, “There have been some high profile examples of problems with project delivery, such as the housing for older people procurement and more recently with the community stadium project. This has been the first year of operation of the Better Care Fund, which requires the Council to work with the local CCG and the wider health economy to reduce demand for acute healthcare. Any failures in these areas could compound the Council’s financial and operational difficulties and impact adversely on services provided”.

The Auditors are understood to be looking carefully at failings in the management of the Community Stadium project and the collapse of the older persons accommodation strategy (both of which date from the time of the Labour administration in the City)

The background papers published yesterday list some individual areas which are being audited.Audit report April 2016

These include Project Management, Register of Interests and s117 of the Mental Health Act.  Draft reports on these issues reveal only “limited assurance” – meaning there are significant issues to be addressed. The reports are in draft form only and are being review internally at this stage. All are potential matters of public interest (S117 of the Mental Health Act requires authorities to provide community support for people leaving hospital).

Reports already issued reveal that several departments have not agreed performance standards with the Councils reception (business support) unit.  Two years seems a long time to wait for the Council to publish target times (and performance) for dealing with issues raises electronically. Recently reports of fly tipping took nearly two weeks to be passed on to the team responsible for actually tidying up some dumping.

Similarly, the auditors did find some sensitive information in offices when they did a security sweep.

Most of the Audit reports – and particularly those of schools – have however found procedures to be generally satisfactory

Mazars are charging the Council £138,000 for their work.

NB. The Councils Executive has so far failed to clarify what issues will be discussed at its 24th April meeting when the Public Interest Report on irregular staff payments is on the agenda.

Floods update –  No report on York Councils next Executive agenda

New business compensation fund announced

York floods Sept 2012 bar walls

The agenda for the next meeting of the York Councils ruling Executive committee has been published. The anticipated item on the recent floods has been omitted.

It means that confusion continues to surround the promised “public inquiry” into the causes of the flooding and the effectiveness of the response by all agencis.

There had been calls for a special meeting to be called to consider how well the Council itself had addressed the crisis. This had been “put on hold” as officials struggled to deal with remedial work

It would be a major mistake if the Councils main policy making committee at its next meeting did not at least take time to review:

  • How effectively the Council communicated with residents and businesses particularly over the fateful weekend of the 26th and 27 December?
  • Whether flood alleviation arrangements including the distribution of sandbags was effective?
  • How quickly victim’s needs were assessed and how effectively they were remedied?
  • How well volunteer efforts were coordinated?
  • How the clean-up operation has gone?
  • How effective, and transparent, financial compensation arrangements are?

We are not out of the vulnerable winter period yet so, if refinements to emergency plans are required, then they need to be implemented in days rather than weeks.

Meanwhile the Council has announced yet another separate compensation fund for floods victims. It adds to the already bewildering range of funding channels apparently available to businesses and home owners.

The Council statement reads,

“York businesses are set to benefit from a share of a £5million flood fund, which was endorsed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee yesterday.

The fund will help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across York and the Leeds City Region to recover from the effects of recent flooding.

Merchant Adventures Hall

Merchant Adventures Hall

Yesterday’s meeting of the Committee supported a recommendation to invest £5m from the Leeds City Region Growth Deal allocation to establish the Business Flood Recovery Fund. An initial £1.4m will be made available with the full £5m awaiting final approval by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Board at their meeting on 4 February. The new fund will be managed by the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The Business Flood Recovery Fund is expected to be in place by next week with grants of between £5,000 and £100,000 available. The fund could support SMEs with critical capital investment requirements such as new equipment or hire costs for machinery and premises required to recommence or maintain their operations.  It could also go towards implementing internal flood resilience measures such as building a mezzanine floor to move business critical equipment to a higher point. Each application will be reviewed on a case by case basis and will need to be accompanied by a detailed flood recovery plan. 

Support will be provided by the LEP’s growth managers, local authorities, Chambers of Commerce and the Manufacturing Advisory Service to help eligible businesses develop the plans and ensure business continuity over the long term.

The fund will operate under the same guidelines as the existing LEP grant funding scheme currently supporting SMEs to grow in Leeds City Region. To be eligible for funding, businesses must be an SME and from one of the LEP’s priority sectors; manufacturing, food and drink, low carbon and environmental, financial and professional services, health and life sciences and digital and creative – although discretion will apply.

The application form will be available from the LEP next week and via local authority growth managers across the region. The LEP has a package of support available to businesses looking to grow and find support to help them realise their full potential. Support for business grants and loans, skills advice, apprenticeships and export are all available through the LEP and businesses are encouraged to get in touch by calling 0113 348 1818 or emailing businessgrowth@the-lep.com to find out more.

Further information about the support available to flood affected businesses can be found at www.the-lep.com/floodsupport. 

By supporting the Business Flood Recovery Fund, West Yorkshire Combined Authority is building on the existing support provided by government of up to £7,500 that has been made available to SMEs in Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield, York and North Yorkshire to help companies with the immediate clean-up effort and flood resilience”.
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Floods latest – Independent Public Inquiry ordered as York Council issues advice on selection of flood damage repairers

Calls for an independent review into the causes of, and response to, the recent flooding in parts of the City have apparently now led the York Council to agree to mount an Inquiry.

The historical Merchant Adventures Hall was one of the victims of ht flooding.
The historical Merchant Adventures Hall was one of the victims of the flooding.

Press reports suggest that it will take a similar format to that of a Select Committee.

What will be critical will be the terms of reference of the Inquiry and the clarity of any written evidence published before witnesses are called.

In our view the Council should encourage written questions and representations using “open dialogue” socal media channels to allow all those with concerns to contribute.

The move comes at a time when the Environment Agency has confirmed that water entering the control cabin (which was supposedly watertight) on 26th December led to the decision to raise the Foss barrier.  

This threat had not been identified as an issue prior to the recent floods.

It is likely that any Inquiry will want to scrutinise carefully the actions of not only the York Council, but also the Emergency Services, local MPs, the Environment Agency, power and telecoms companies, and the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC)

Inquiry members will no doubt also familarise themselves with the many reports that have been published on the flooding threat in the City over the last few years.

These include: 

Skip Fossgate welcome to YorkshireCouncil reminds flood-hit homeowners to employ reputable trades people
 City of York Council is reminding homeowners to make sure they employ reputable trades people to repair and re-decorate their flood-hit homes.

There are some tell-tale signs which can help spot the difference between a ‘cowboy’ trades person and the genuine thing.

Be very careful about taking on someone who:

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York Council mystery company beings to lift secrecy veil?

 

City of York trading hompageThe first public meeting of the “shareholder” group set up to monitor the performance of “York City Trading” will take place on 13th January.

The YCT Quango – which uses surplus Council staff resources to back-fill vacancies while also offering contract services to some outside organisations – attracted criticism last year when questions were raised about payments to some Directors.

A report to the group says that turnover for the company was up 6% on the equivalent period in 2014.

The report does not provide any indication of performance against financial targets. A board report is mentioned but is claimed to be “exempt” from publication.

So Taxpayers therefore still have no idea how well the company is actually performing

The last publicly published board minutes – on their web site – for the company cover a meeting held in July

York City Trading also promote a separate web site aimed at potential customers www.workwithyork.co.uk

York Floods latest update: Confusion over which businesses are open. Merchant Adventurers Hall appeals for help

Organisations representing the commercial sector in York have been asked to coordinate and publicise a list of businesses that are currently closed because of the flooding.

Merchant Adventures Hall

Merchant Adventures Hall

They are being asked to use social media to produce a real time list, indicating likely reopening dates, contact details and a list of clean up materials (if any) required by the business.

While the vast majority of businesses in the City are operating as normal, others face a difficult few days as the flood waters recede. It is an important trading period for many visitor attractions, restaurants, pubs and shops.

Merchant Adventurers Hall appeal

The Hall has suffered serious flooding following failure of the Foss Barrier on Boxing Day.  Fortunately they had sufficient notice to enable them to remove valuables from the Undercroft prior to the water coming in. 

The record level experienced in 1982 was exceeded by a couple of inches! 

The waters around the Hall have now receded but there remains around a foot of water in the Undercroft and that will require pumping out.  The clean up in the kitchens, cloakrooms and reception area can now begin.  They have some power issues because of the uncertain state of the Emergency Lighting Battery Inverter Unit which was submerged. 

If anyone has an hour or two to spare over the next couple of days and is prepared to risk becoming very dirty than we would be grateful for help (please ring 01904 654818 first ).  If anyone has a pump, of what ever capacity, that they could lend to the Hall for a couple of days that would be most useful.

Separately the Council has been asked to confirm that the arrangements set up in 2002 to provide a flood relief fund continue to apply.

While some spontaneous appeals have appeared on “just giving” and “go fund me“, proper audit arrangements need to be put in place to ensure funds get quickly to victims with the greatest need.

How to help

At the moment an assessment is being made of the types of help and materials that are needed. Until this has been completed, residents are being asked not add to the huge mountain of materials that has already been collected.

The Council  issued the following update at 10:30am

“The River Ouse levels are at 4.6.m asl today. Main flood defences have held.  River levels will fall slowly but we are expecting further rain for Wednesday so the advice is to be #floodaware.

Four of the eight pumps on the Foss Barrier are working and river levels are dropping. As a consequence roads are clearing, as they do we are looking to direct road sweepers to them throughout this morning to ensure road safety.

The Castlegate sewage pumping station is being repaired at around 10am today and the inner ring road which has just been opened,  heading towards Skeldergate bridge may be temporarily closed sometime today as new pumps are delivered.

For the latest traffic and travel information please visit: www.itravelyork.info/journey-planning/roadworks-and-road-closures

Communication channels are restored and  the council’s customer contact centre is running as normal  These details have been shared with residents via social media and traditional media and the number to call is 01904 551550 the email address is flood@york.gov.uk.

Archbishop Holgate School continues to be operational as a rest centre but all residents who were using the centre have been placed into emergency housing (15-20 families).

The situation is improving but there is still a lot of work to be done and all agencies continue to work hard to get the city moving and working as normally as can be expected. Around 650 homes and businesses have been directly affected by flooding in the city centre.

Both Household Waste and Recycling Centres are now open/operational.

Flood safety

Please avoid entering flood waters as there may be hidden dangers like sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution.

Road closures and travel information

For the latest on road closures and travel information during the floods please visit the iTravel website which will be updated regularly”.   

 

York Council consultations near closure date

“Improving public engagement” survey available but still not publicised
Improving Public Engagement
Engagement survey

Engagement survey

Our Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee is reviewing the potential for improving public engagement, the take up of services through digital means and our ability to respond.  We welcome your views and experiences of engaging with us via our Improving Public Engagement survey.

Consultation closes 31 December 2015

Public Protection review

Our Public Protection service is under review.  We would welcome views and comments from businesses about our proposals and how we can make best use of resources including a variety of environmental health, trading standards, licensing and regulatory functions.  Have your say in our Public Protection survey.

Consultation closes 31 December 2015

Designer Outlet Park and Ride Bus Service

The Designer Outlet Park and Ride bus service currently calls at all stops along Fulford Main Street, Fulford Road and Fishergate. It is proposed that, from the start date of the new Park & Ride contract in 2017, the number of intermediate stops is reduced.

We would like to hear from Fulford and Fishergate residents and other users of the Designer Outlet P&R service to understand their views on the proposed changes.

Consultation closes 6 January 2016

Minerals and Waste Joint Plan

City of York Council is working with North Yorkshire County Council and the North York Moors National Park Authority to produce a Minerals and Waste Joint Plan covering all three planning authority areas.  When finalised the new plan will help us take decisions on planning applications for minerals and waste developments over the next 15 years.  Find out more about the latest draft and have your say in the preferred options consultation on North Yorkshire’s consultation website.

Consultation closes 15 January 2016

Budget Consultation 2016-17

City of York Council’s Executive is facing some tough decisions in 2016-17. To help shape the 2016-17 Budget proposals, the council is inviting residents to have their say:

Via our online Budget Consultation survey

By post to:  FREEPOST RTEG-TYYU-KLTZ Budget consultation City of York Council West Offices Station Rise York YO1 6GA
By hand at West Offices or libraries/Explore Centres

Consultation closes 20 January 2016